A typical network requires the use of one or more servers to store, distribute and process data. Furthermore, the network typically implements a backup system to save data in the event a server loses data whether it be due to a virus, software issue or hardware failure. Although the data is backed up, that does not remedy the problem of the server being inaccessible as a result of a malfunction. Once a server fails, an administrator has to replace the server with another server which is a process that could take a few hours or days if a new server needs to be purchased. With a server down, data stored on that server is likely inaccessible which causes problems such as a website being unavailable. It has been estimated that millions of dollars are lost due to system inaccessibility. Furthermore, there is a significant effect on reputation when a company's website is down. Moreover, for Local Area Networks (LANs) within an organization, a server being down would halt productivity if employees are unable to access their data.
A solution of ensuring that the server information is continuously available is to utilize a dedicated backup server for each server. While that works well with one server, it becomes a high cost solution with multiple servers as each server typically costs many thousands of dollars.
Another common feature when utilizing networks is Lights Out Management (LOM) which allows a system administrator to monitor and manage servers remotely. A typical LOM system includes a hardware component called a LOM module and an application for monitoring system variables such as temperature and CPU utilization. The application also provides the system administrator with remote abilities such as rebooting, fan speed control, troubleshooting and operating system installation. Although LOM provides some remote management abilities, there are many issues that LOM is unable to handle.